Paul and James on Faith and Works

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungbook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

13 March 2010

All readers of the New Testament are aware of the apparent contrast between Paul and James in Romans (by Paul) and James (by James).

In fact, this presumed contrast was a great problem to Martin Luther initially. If one compare Romans 3:28 with James 2:24 then the following can be seen:

Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

James 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

In 1522 Luther studied James and he offered his doctoral dissertation to any one who can reconcile Romans with James. Later he reconciled it himself, as Roland Bainton explained: "Faith is a living restless thing. It cannot be inoperative. We are not saved by works, but if there is no works, there must be something amiss with faith" (Bainton, Here I Stand. A Life of Martin Luther 259).

In 1964 D. E. H. Whiteley was so confused that he made the comment that "Faith is not 'another kind of work' which is a species of the same genus and operates in the same way: faith and works do not belong to the same genus at all" (Whiteley, The Theology of St. Paul [Oxford: Blackwell, 1964], 164). Actually, Whiteley is not correct here. Faith includes works but it depends on who's works it includes, namely the works of the sinless Christ on our behalf.

Faith is a polymorphous concept and we have to say that works in the New Testament is also a polymorphous concept. That is why Paul can speak of faith in contrast to works and James could speak of faith together with works or in association with works.

Faith is a special kind of work, the work of Christ in His perfect obedience to the Law of God 100% and that perfection can now rightfully attributed to us as susbstitution. Faith is an instrument to acquire this substitutionary gift by Christ on our behalf. It is an instrument by which to acquire justification. This is despite the fact that Anthony C. Thiselton indicated in his book repeatedly that faith is not a kind of instrument (Thiselton, The Two Horizons [Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1980], 422, 423).

What happens is that faith helps us to get the benefits of Christ for us and receiving that complete clean slate on our behalf it opens up the process of the rest of our life-time, Christ in us. Both processes require faith. Faith as instrument and faith as process. Works as substitution (of Christ) and works as normal outflow of a relationship with God. Looking from the Bible's perspective on faith and works, there are actually two good kinds of faith and two good kinds of works plus one deceptive kind of faith and one deceptive kind of works. This is the total picture of the canonical biblical theology on faith and works.

Thiselton said: "Faith does not make a man a Christian, but he cannot be a Christian without faith, for faith in Christ is part of the definition of what it means to be a Christian." Seventh-Day Adventists have indicated similar statements and one can see it also in Hans La Rondelle's book on Perfection. God is the one who saves. God is the one who takes the first steps, always.

Edward Heppenstall said similarly of works:

Salvation is not possible by works (Galatians 2:16) but good works are an essential part of a Christian's life (Ephesians 2:10) (E. Heppenstall, Christ Our High Priest chapter 7 paragraph 7). Good works are not opposed to the gospel but are part of it (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 8). In Christ's presence, disobedience to the will of God is unthinkable (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 19).

Heppenstall is clear that the church must guard against legalism (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 33) on one side and cheap grace (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 19) on the other.

A faith without works will be cheap grace and that is what James is stressing in his book.

Works without faith in Christ, is a legalism (chapter 7 paragraph 33) that tries to engineer their own salvation. 

A watering down of the Law code of God is the idea that "All we need is love, love, love" (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 35).

It is thus clear that Paul and James are focussing on two different but similar important aspects in the salvation of souls: Paul focus on faith that is necessary to obtain the 'works of Christ for us' while James focus on the works that will result when a person has a living faith in Christ, thus Christ in us. The "for us Christ" and the "in us Christ" are two cardinal aspects in the view of Seventh Day Adventists that is also cardinal in the view of Paul and James. The two are in harmony with each other since James is not unaccustomed with the role of faith and Paul is also not unacquainted with the role of works.

In 1955, J. Jeremias claimed that the problem between Paul and James can be seen in Romans 3:28 and James 2:24 (J. Jeremias, "Paul and James" Expository Times LXVI [1955]: 368-371). Jeremias explained that this is just an apparent contradiction since it is not a head-on clash between Paul and James, but one must look at it in terms of their difference of concerns and partly in terms of the radically different ways in which they use the same terminology. Jeremias felt that the concept of faith that James attacks is merely "the intellectual acceptance of monotheism" whereas the concept of faith that Paul defends is "the confidence that Christ died for my sins" (Jeremias 1955: 370).

Anthony Thiselton wishes to see a contrast between especially James with Paul, namely that James supposedly thinks Paul is not correct in his definition (Thiselton 1980: 424) but that is not correct. Thiselton lacks the Seventh-Day Adventist understanding of the role of faith and works (two kinds of faith and two kinds of work). As doctor Izak van Zyl said to us, "faith is a faith that works".

Thiselton said that James wanted to say that a faith that is not backed by attitude as well as behavior is not faith at all (Thiselton 1980: 426).

Thiselton unfortunately wants to keep a sin-door open for the believer and thus resist that faith includes works (see Thiselton 1980: 426). This is what Seventh-Day Adventists call "cheap grace" and a misnomer of true faith or true works. Says Thiselton "that John is not teaching 'sinless perfection,' or that faith is the same as works, is clear from his recognition in 1:8-10 that even the believer sins" (Thiselton 1980: 426).

Many will agree with Thiselton but God cannot associate Himself with sin. He has to stand apart. When the power to fight sin is supplied and when the sinner conquered every sin, even then, the sinner will still feel sinner. Why? Because we live with the memory of sin which is not taken away. But, God cast those past sins in the depth of the sea. He does not look at them any longer. But we do. We will until He comes and glorify our bodies in the resurrection. God see nothing but we see everything. In this sense, we remain sinners until Jesus comes, sins in memory. Sins in actions of whatever kind is not supported by the Bible.

Heppenstall said on this matter of combining an ongoing sinful life with the believer: "Under the pretense of enlarging our liberties, we are deprived of them" (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 35). He also said that the gospel is salvation from sin (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 23). He also said that in Christ's presence disobedience to the will of God is unthinkable (Heppenstall, chapter 7 paragraph 19).

When Paul is speaking negatively about the law, he is speaking negatively from the use of law to save oneself. Vicarius filii Dei is a wrong substitution of Christ by any action or any person. The pope claimed the title through the centuries and still do in the title vicarius christi. It is the same. Substituting the works of the law of Christ by our own works is a law keeping that is against the tenet of the Bible, be it in the Old or New Testament. The salvation must (mandatory) come from Christ first. In this way Seventh Day Adventists are nearly 100% Calvinistic. In fact, in their view of the method of salvation, Seventh Day Adventists are complete Calvinistic. But, Seventh Day Adventists are more, they are complete Arminianism as well: the bonded will to sin is set free by the Holy Spirit to make a free choice to accept or reject Christ and never does the Spirit of God force Himself on us.

Why does the Bible say that it is the doers of the law that will be saved and then at other places the doing of the law cannot save you? It is just this: unless you are set free by Christ for us, His substitutionary work of law keeping 100% on our behalf, we cannot keep the law at all as doers of the law as God expect. Obedience cannot be rendered at all. It may look obedient to us, but unless the Holy Spirit has born us from inside anew, we fool ourselves with salvation. Set free we can now choose to follow God in relationship and that is what is true obedience and that is what is keeping the law. It means that I decide to not allow Satan to have a hold over me in any way and that I am starting a life of struggle to avoid sin in any way. Daily faith, daily justification, daily surrendering, daily prayer for salvation and support is our surrender of our wills to Him and He will save and He will support, no questions asked.

Heppenstall said that God does not keep a checklist of our actions every moment, yes, no, yes, no. The sinner should know when he/she is doing wrong and know where to run to. If the sinner, who was set free and chose God, sins, the sinner must run to God and not be like Adam and Eve who hid in the Garden so that God had to come and look for them. The sinner who runs to God daily and finds his comfort in God daily, is living a saved life. There is total security.

Never compare yourselves to another Christian and say, I am not like him or her so I am not yet saved. People differ in their growth of sanctification, their ability to reflect Christ in us like a mirror. Sanctification is a life time process and some are longer on that road than others. Feel encouraged in their presence, enjoy their sanctified life and be determined to join them following Christ all the way.

God supplies with every case where we run to Him power to overcome stronger next time. We must believe in this because the Bible promises it and this reality gives you elevating experiences with God, you get wings and start flying.

So in final, Seventh Day Adventists do not believe in the polarization of faith with works. They are not opposed to each other, except if they are of the wrong kind.